


A Thief and a Dancer Part 6

by Astro986



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 06:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21729106
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astro986/pseuds/Astro986
Summary: After Sumire’s outburst, the couple seeks out advice from their friends. However, things take an unexpected turn.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Yoshizawa Kasumi
Comments: 21
Kudos: 55





	A Thief and a Dancer Part 6

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! As promised, here is part 6 and it’s longer. I really don’t have anything else to say right now other than I own none of the characters or Persona 5. The story and dialogue is mine.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

2/5 - Wednesday - Morning

The morning had been rather eventful. Akechi had dropped by and explained his reason for being here and Sumire isn’t too happy with Ren. Once she stormed out and the trio of Sojiro, Futaba and Morgana came in asking what happened, Ren was at a loss for words.

He explained everything as best he could. Sojiro sighed and shook his head, Futaba puffed her cheeks out in aggravation and Morgana...well, he actually had Ren’s back. This is something that surprised everyone. Usually, Morgana would be the first to tease Ren about his relationship with Sumire, but this time he actually supported him. 

Ren had gotten dressed for the day and left for another day at school. Morgana was, of course, in the bag. The train ride to Shujin was surprisingly tolerable. Not many people were on it today, much to Ren and Morgana’s delight. But Ren’s slight joy quickly faded when his thoughts turned to Sumire. As he walked out of the train and stepped onto the escalator, he let out a huge sigh.

“What’s wrong Ren?” Morgana asked as his head popped out of the bag.

“I can’t stop thinking about what happened this morning...”

“With Sumire?”

“Yeah. By the way, thanks for having my back this morning.” Ren said as he adjusted his glasses and stepped off the escalator.

“No problem. And don’t worry, things will be fine between you two. She’s just upset.” Morgana said casually.

“I know, but I don’t know why she is so upset. I mean, she was fine with me face Shido after I faked my own death.” Ren said as he tried to compare the situation.

Morgana hummed as he thought to himself.

“Well, to be fair, all she wants is for you to be safe. I can understand why she’s upset, but...” Morgana trailed off.

Ren noticed Morgana cutting himself off.

“But? But what?”

“I don’t know, I just feel like she has another reason for reacting that way.” 

Ren went quiet for a minute to think to himself. Another reason? Is there something Sumire isn’t telling him? 

“If that’s the case, I need to find out.” Ren said seriously.

Morgana nodded in response.

“Yeah, but for now, let’s just get through today. We’re almost at school.” Morgana said as he slithered back into the bag.

Ren had entered the school’s premises through the same alleyway when he first met Ryuji. As he emerged from the alleyway along with a few other students, he saw Shujin students appear from all directions. This was nothing new to him as it’s almost been a full year of seeing the same people. 

Before he could go up the stairs, he felt an arm be slung around his shoulder. Ren turned to see none other than his best friend Ryuji.

“Yo, Ren!” He said with a cheerful tone.

“Hey Ryuji.” 

“Whatcha been up to?”

“Not much. Just the same old routine minus the Phantom Thieves business.” Ren said plainly.

“Yeah...it’s been kinda boring for me too. But hey, at least you got a girlfriend.” Ryuji said with a cheeky grin.

“Yeah...”

Ryuji noticed the somber tone his fluffy-haired friend had. He normally glows whenever Sumire is brought up.

“Somethin’ wrong?” He asked.

“Ryuji, I can honestly say that I have no idea.”

“Ren and Sumire had a fight this morning.” Morgana interjected as he popped his head out the bag.

Ren shot a quick glare at him, but to be honest, he was glad he didn’t have to say it. It kind of hurt to even think about.

“For real? That’s kinda shocking actually.”

“Shocking? How?” Ren asked.

“I don’t know, it’s just that you two never kinda seemed like the couple who had anything to fight about. But I guess it had to happen eventually. What was it about?”

“It wasn’t anything serious. Basically, Sumire is angry that Akechi and I are going to fight.” Ren said.

“Whoa! Fight!? How?” Ryuji asked loudly.

If there was one thing that Ryuji was good at, it was creating a scene. Everyone was staring at the two. Some looked a little fearful because Ren’s name wasn’t exactly cleared. A few students still see him as a criminal. Ren just looked at Ryuji with an unamused expression, which caused the loud-mouthed blonde to sheepishly rub the back of his head. Before Ren could say anything else, the bell rang signifying that class was about to start.

“I’ll tell you later. Let’s just get school over with right now.”

“Kay’. See ya.”

————————  
2/5 - Wednesday - Afternoon

Class had finally ended, much to Sumire’s joy. It’s not that she doesn’t like attending school, but sometimes it just got old. But it really didn’t matter to her right now because her thoughts turned to her boyfriend. She can’t recall ever feeling so angry at him before. Sure, there were times where got a bit annoyed at his antics and impulsive behavior, but that smile he had made her forget her aggravation.

This time, however, no amount of smiling could quell what she was feeling toward Ren right now. Not only did he agree to fight Akechi at full power, which could result in him being seriously injured, he had the nerve to tell her that she was making too much of it. It’s like her feelings and opinions didn’t matter to him. Not to mention, she’s already lost someone she loved dearly; her twin sister Kasumi.

Ren had helped her become the person she is today. He was the one that ultimately made a difference in her life and helped her embrace herself. Sumire stopped and looked out the window with a sad expression on her face. She couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened.

“Hey Sumi!” An optimistic voice called which snapped Sumire out of her thoughts.

It was Ann. Sumire had envied Ann for awhile. Not to the degree she did with her sister, but she always wondered how someone could be so cheerful all the time.

“Hi Ann!” She greeted.

“What are you up to?” Ann asked.

“Nothing. Just going to enjoy lunch outside. Would you care to join me?” Sumire asked with a smile.

Sumire thought that spending time with Ann would help take her mind off Ren for a while.

“Sure!” Ann said happily.

It didn’t take long for the two girls to make their way toward the courtyard. They took a seat at the seat where Ann and Shiho always sat at. As she sat down, Sumire had taken off her glasses momentarily to clean them while Ann made a mad dash toward the vending machine.

“Want anything?” Ann asked.

“Huh? Oh...no thank you.” 

Ann noticed Sumire’s somber tone. 

“What’s the matter Sumire?” 

“It’s nothing...”

Ann may rival Ryuji in terms of ditziness, but she could always tell when something wasn’t right.

“Are you sure?” She asked as she sat back down.

Sumire didn’t respond and kept staring at her bag. Ann could tell she was really upset. The only other time she was like this was when the Phantoms Thieves rescued her and she revealed the truth about herself.

“Does it have something to do with Ren?” Ann asked as he opened her bag of chips.

Sumire looked at Ann in surprise before blushing hard. Ann couldn’t help but laugh a bit.

“Yeah...” Sumire said meekly.

“Wouldn’t be a day if there wasn’t guy trouble. What happened?”

“Ren and I had a fight...” 

Ann wasn’t really surprised. Ren and Sumire had spent a lot of time together, so it was bound to happen at some point.

“About what?” Ann asked with a mouth full of chips.

“Well, Akechi dropped by LèBlanc this morning and ended up explaining how he was still here. It turns out he didn’t die in Shido’s palace. He ended up escaping with the grappling hook he got from Ren.”

Ann was shocked this time. She certainly wasn’t expecting to hear that. 

“Wow. Didn’t expect to hear that. But what does that have to do with you and Ren?” 

“That part doesn’t, but this one does. He and Akechi are going to have some kind of deadly rematch. I told Ren that I was worried about him and that I don’t want him to. Akechi said they weren’t going to fight to the death, but intended to use all of their strength during the fight. That made me angry, but what Ren said next was what really did it. He told me that I was making too much of it, completely disregarding my feelings.” Sumire said as she clutched her bag tightly.

Ann thought to herself for a minute.

“Wait, how can those two fight at full power when we can’t use our Personas anymore?” She asked with a confused look.

“Ren, Akechi and I can interact with our Personas. Ren and I even interacted them and were mentally transported to some imaginary space they live in.” 

“Awwwwww....that’s not fair!” Ann whined.

Sumire was caught by surprise. Instead of receiving comfort, Ann was complaining that she couldn’t interact with her Persona. Sumire’s unamused look kept her from going further though.

“What do I do Ann?” Sumire asked after Ann stopped complaining.

“Well, the first thing you need to do is wait. Confronting Ren now will only make things worse, especially since you’ve been spending a lot of time with him recently.” 

Sumire’s one-of-a-kind blush made its return.

“W-w-what’s that supposed to mean?”

Ann got the most mischievous smile on her face.

“What? It’s obvious you two have been doing the dirty.” Ann said playfully.

Sumire covered her face in embarrassment, which prompted Ann to laugh. But Ann being Ann, she rubbed Sumire’s back to comfort her.

“Oh come on, I’m only teasing...kind of. It’s still obvious.” She said.

“I’m not giving details...” Sumire said with an embarrassed glare.

“Don’t want em. What you two do is your business.” Ann said as she leaned back placing her hand on the bench.

“Thank you.”

“No problem. Now I have a plan on what to do about Ren. Come here.”

Ann had gestured Sumire to come closer so she could whisper something in her ear. However, little did the two girls know, Morgana had saw the entire exchange.

Meanwhile in Kawakami’s classroom...

“...and then she stormed out of LeBlanc.”

Ren had finished explaining everything to Ryuji, who just had a puzzled look on his face. 

“Man, girls are so sensitive...” Ryuji said before he threw a piece of sushi into his mouth.

“Don’t I know it...” Ren said as he took a sip of his water.

“Why don’t you just go talk to her?” 

“I want to, but she’ll just ignore me. I asked her where she was going and if she was okay, but I didn’t get a response.” Ren said as he put his hand to his face.

“Hmm...maybe wait a bit before saying somethin’?”

Ren just raised his eyebrow and said “Hmm?” in a questionable way.

“You two have been with each other for awhile now. So, why not wait and enjoy the peace for awhile before talking to her?” Ryuji said confidently.

Ren was kind of surprised. Ryuji actually gave good advice for once.

“Huh, didn’t expect to hear that kind of advice from you of all people.” Ren said with a smug smile.

“I got my moments.” Ryuji said as he confidently rubbed his nose.

Ren responded with an “Mm-hmm” and proceeded to look out the window again. He knew Ryuji had a point. Ren and Sumire have been and are inseparable, but even couples need to have time to themselves. But something wasn’t quite adding up here. Ren knew there was another reason behind Sumire’s outburst, but it was probably best if he didn’t dwell on it right now.

The bell rang once again signifying that it was time to go home. With semester nearing its end, school had been ending a bit earlier. 

“Finally.” Ryuji said as he stretched.

Ren and Ryuji gathered things and left Kawakami’s classroom. On their way out, they threw out their stuff in the trash can that was situated in the middle of the bathrooms. Ryuji had to go and asked Ren to wait for him. As he waited, Ren went on his phone and was scrolling through the news when a message appeared from an unknown number.

“Kichijoji. 7:30 PM. Be there.”

Needless to say, Ren got really creeped out. Who in the world sent this? He tried replying with a “Who is this?”, but it didn’t go through. A hand then grabbed Ren’s shoulder, which caused the leader of the Phantom Thieves to jump in surprise.

“Whoa. What’s the matter?” Ryuji asked.

Ren calmed himself down and then showed Ryuji the message. 

“I just got this random message telling me to go to Kichijoji.” Ren said.

“Did you reply?” 

“No, it won’t let me. It says the number can’t be found.”

Ren and Ryuji stared at each other before both of them realized something. This happened before.

“Wait a minute...cryptic message from an untraceable number? Didn’t this happen before? Ryuji started.

The two friends got one of the angriest looks on their faces as they realized who the sender was.

“Futaba!” Ren and Ryuji said in unison.

———————-  
2/5 - Wednesday - Evening

Ren and Ryuji have never left Shujin so quickly, even when they escaped from Kamoshida’s Palace for the first time. Instead of fear, it was anger that motivated them to book it to LèBlanc.

After literally shoving people out of the way in the metro, they made a mad dash toward the cafè. Ren opened the door kind of forcibly, which alarmed Sojiro.

“Huh? Oh it’s you. Don’t open the door like that, you’ll break it like you did the window.” Sojiro said with a stern look.

Ren placed his bag down on the bar as did Ryuji before giving Sojiro an unhappy look.

“Where’s Futaba?” He asked.

“She said she was going out shopping with the girls.”

Ren and Ryuji looked at each other in surprise and confusion. Futaba has displayed her disinterest in shopping multiple times, so it’s really strange she would just randomly start now.

“Yeah, I don’t get it either. The only time that girl ever wants to go to the store is when food is involved. I wonder what changed. Sojiro said as he dried out a coffee mug.

“Nothin’ changed. She sent Ren some weird message at school today.” Ryuji said loudly.

“What?” 

Ren then took his phone out and brought up the message. Sojiro didn’t believe it.

“That’s not Futaba’s number.” He said plainly.

“Yeah I know, she created a fake number, sent this message and deleted all traces of it before I could reply. And now, I’m absolutely positive she sent it after finding out she’s “shopping”. Ren said in aggravation.

“Those girls are planning somethin! I know it!” Ryuji said.

“Oh come on, you really think they’re conspiring against you?” Sojiro said as he rubbed the back of his head.

“We’ve spent more than enough with each other to know when they’re up to something.” Ren said.

The door to LèBlanc opened causing the bell to ring. Morgana then ran into the café and jumped on to the cash register in a panic.

“Morgana?” Ren asked.

“R-ren...bi-big...problem...” Morgana said as he tried to catch his breath.

Ren ran over to the sink and filled a small bowl of water for him. He then placed it on the bar for Morgana to drink. 

“What’s wrong?” 

Morgana then stopped drinking and wiped his mouth with his paw.

“Ann, Futaba, Haru, Makoto and Sumire are planning something bad! He said.

“For real!?” Ryuji shouted.

“Wha-? How do you know this?” Ren asked.

“I was watching them. It started with me watching Ann and Sumire at school today. Ann whispered something to her and they both got these evil looks.”

“Wait wait wait. Sumire?” Ren said in confusion.

Sumire wasn’t exactly the type to plot something or do something devious. Ren immediately got on the defensive as did his two teammates. 

“Give me your phone Sojiro.” He said.

“Why?” 

“I need to contact Yusuke and Akechi now.”

“Why can’t you use your phone?” Sojiro asked.

“Because your daughter has a habit of hackin’ people’s phones to see their personal messages.” Ryuji said.

Sojiro was so lost. He sighed and gave his phone to Ren.

Ren wasted no time messaging Yusuke and Akechi. He sent them the same message; “It’s Ren. Meet me in front of the grocery store next to LeBlanc. It’s urgent.”

“Ryuji, Morgana, let’s go.” Ren said in his leader voice.

“Right!” Ryuji said.

“Understood!” Morgana said as he jumped into Ren’s bag.

“Be back later Sojiro!” Ren said as he placed Sojiro’s phone on the bar.

And with the that, the trio ran out of the cafè leaving a stunned Sojiro.

“Damn kids...” Sojiro said as he shook his head.

Ren, Ryuji and Morgana arrived at the market in less than two minutes. All three of them were grateful that it was close by. After about 20 minutes, Akechi arrived from one end of the street while Yusuke appeared from the other.

“I received your message. What’s the issue? Akechi asked.

“Has something happened?” Yusuke asked.

“Yeah somethin’ happened. The girls are up to no good.” Ryuji said angrily.

“What do you mean?” Yusuke asked in confusion.

“I got this message telling me to meet someone at Kichijoji at 7:30 PM tonight. I couldn’t reply because the number was disconnected shortly afterward and there’s only one person who can do that so quickly.”

“Futaba...” Akechi said as he put his hand to his chin.

“Yup. We need to find out what’s going on.” Morgana said as he emerged from Ren’s bag.

“I see. But before going any further, why did you contact us from another number?” Yusuke asked.

“And meet you in front of a store next to your home?” Akechi added with mild irritation.

“Because Futaba likes to sneak into people’s phone by hacking them and I didn’t want her to find out we contacted you.”

“Well, I am rather busy, but as a detective, I must find out if anything strange is occurring. Shall we go, gentlemen?” Akechi said.

The rest of the boys nodded in agreement.

“Wait, what time is it?”

Ren checked his phone to see that it was 7:05 PM. 

“7:05.” He said.

“Then we have no time to waste. Let’s go!” Morgana said sternly.

The boys ran to the metro station as fast as they could. Whatever the girls were planning needed to be stopped. While on the metro, which was full, Ren suggested they make a plan. 

“They’ll know that we’re on to them if we’re together.” Ren said.

“Yes, traveling as a group is likely to raise suspicion. We don’t even know where they’re hiding.” Akechi added.

“Think we should split up and look around?” Ryuji asked.

“That could work. Splitting up saves a lot of time and allows us to cover more ground. Yusuke said.

“Alright, looks we have our really basic plan.” Morgana said with a laugh.

“Hold on.” Ren interjected.

“What is it?” Yusuke asked.

“I agree that we should split up, but there’s just something not right. For all we know, the girls could have done the same thing as a way to locate me when I step out onto the street.” 

“Hmm, that is a possibility.” Akechi said as he thought.

“Well, what do we do then? We’re almost there.” Morgana said.

“I’ll leave the station first, put on my GPS and have you guys track me. Once you see go on the stairs, that’s when you guys can follow. Sorry, Morgana, you’re gonna have to stay with them for now.” Ren said.

“You sure that will work?” Ryuji asked.

“I’m 90 percent sure it will work. They wanted me to come, not you guys.” 

“Heh.” Akechi laughed slightly.

“What’s so funny?” Ryuji asked in a confrontational tone.

“I’m afraid I have a case of serious dèja vu right now.” Akech said with a smile.

“Oh, you mean from when we were tracking you?” Ren asked with a smug grin.

“Yes. How the tables have turned indeed.”

The boys burst out laughing in the train at this, which prompted people to turn around and stare at them. Luckily for the boys, they didn’t stare long because they just arrived at Kichijoji. The plan happened as Ren said it would. He left the train first and casually made his way to exit. Who knows if one of the girls were watching him? He had to act normal.

Once Ren was out of sight, the group of Morgana, Ryuji, Yusuke and Akech followed him. Akechi looked at his phone to see Ren already walking through the streets of Kichijoji. 

“Make haste.” He said to the others before fast walking up the metro station stairs.

As Ren walked the streets of Kichijoji, his thoughts turned to none other than his girlfriend. How many times as he met up with her here? A smile formed on Ren’s face as he recalled the time when he and Sumire went clothes shopping. She was still trying to find herself at the time and had already made some efficient progress. However, she was still trying to understand what it meant to be herself and not her sister. 

When he got to the store, it took a lot to restrain himself from laughing. Sumire was trying on clothes before he got there and was dressed like someone from a 1980’s disco. Big, round sunglasses with a red frame, a scarf wrapped around her neck and a leopard print shirt with a jaguar on it with matching tights.

Even now, that image still makes Ren laugh a bit. Before he could enjoy the memory further, he got this tingling feeling down his neck.

“Do you feel that, my boy?” Raoul asked suddenly.

“Yeah, we’re being watched.”

“Tread carefully. Use your third eye to see what is invisible to you.” 

“I can still do that?” Ren asked in surprise.

“Indeed you can. Though it may feel slightly different then before. Now concentrate.” Raoul said as his voice faded back into Ren’s mind.

Ren took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He then saw the entire street as well as through a few buildings but in black and white. Auras of different colors swarmed around him as Ren tried to see who was watching him. 

For a brief second, he could make out a red aura of a person who was carefully standing behind a stand. From the looks of it, they were peering their head out slightly so they could see him. Raoul then made himself known once again.

“There! Someone is hiding from behind that stand. Get over there, posthaste!” He said.

“Right.” Ren said before he dashed toward the stand.

As he hurriedly made his way toward who was watching him, Ren saw someone quickly dart their head back from the stand. 

“Raoul.”

“Ren.”

“Did you see that?”

“I did indeed.” 

Both Ren and Raoul recognized the hair cut of the stalker. It was short and had a small braid on the side. There was only one person in the Phantom Thieves with that hairdo. Before succumbing to aggravation, Ren quickly formulated a plan to cut the stalker off. Luckily, he knew these streets inside and out from constantly going on late night adventures and his dates with Sumire. 

As for the stalker, she made a B-line toward one of the stores and hid behind one hoping Ren didn't find them. She peered her head over the side to make sure the coast was clear. Taking a deep breath to relax herself, she was about to walk away when she bumped into someone.

"Hello Makoto." Ren said with an evil smile.

Makoto managed to stifle her shriek when she saw Ren. 

"Uh...hello Ren, w-what a surprise to see you here." Makoto said awkwardly

"Is it now?" 

"Y-yes, this was totally unexpected."

Ren's expression was unamused, aggravated and annoyed at the same time. He doesn't know what's more infuriating, the fact that Makoto was straight up lying to his face when she was caught red-handed or her below mediocre stealth skills.

"What are you girls up to?" He asked with a slight sneer.

Makoto just went wide-eyed. If there was thing that Makoto couldn't handle, it was being under intense pressure and Ren's cold, all-knowing glare wasn't helping.

"I-i-i...umm...I don't know what you're talking about."

Ren just gave her an even scarier glare. It was extremely rare to see Ren angry as he's always calm and collected, but when something or someone enrages him, God help them.

"Makoto..." Ren said through gritted teeth.

The short-haired brunette has never experienced fear like she was feeling now. Even with Takuto's monster of a Persona or Yaldabaoth, she never felt this scared before.

"Y-y-yes...?" She said with a shaky voice.

"I asked you a question." 

"I-i g-gave you an answer..."

"No, you didn't. You lied to me." Ren said sternly.

Makoto was caught again, although it was pretty obvious she's up to something. 

"I'm sorry..." She said with a whisper.

"Answer me truthfully now." Ren said angrily as he took a menacing step toward her.

Now Makoto knows what it feels like to be on the receiving end of Joker's wrath during a Hold Up. But before she could say anything else, another voice decided to intervene. 

"Ren stop!" The voice said with a hint of panic.

Ren slightly turned his head to see Sumire, who had her hair down and wore her glasses. Behind her stood the other girls of the group. All of them looked a little fearful. 

Makoto took advantage of Ren being distracted and ran to hide behind the other girls.

"Sumire..." 

The way Ren said her name was not the same as before. He said it with anger and venom.

"There you are!" Ryuji said as he ran up to them with the other guys.

"What's going...on...?" Yusuke asked before noticing the menacing aura surrounding Ren.

It was twice today that Akechi was struck with fear. The first being Sumire's outburst and now seeing is rival enraged.

"Ren...are you okay?" Futaba asked with concern.

"You tell me." He said as he turned around.

With his full face revealed, everyone took a step back in fear. Sumire had recognized the face he was making. It was the same one from the night before they fought their school counselor. But Sumire knew that he wasn't going to regret what he was about to do this time. Ren then took a few steps toward them.

"Calm yourself my boy. I can feel your frustration but lashing out will not help." Raoul said.

Ren followed Raoul's advice and took a deep breath before speaking.

"Listen to me and listen good. I don't know what you were planning nor do I care. What I do know is that it isn't happening and lying to me was a poor decision on your part Makoto." Ren said in his leader voice.

The girls were shocked, to say the least. How did Ren find out they were up to something? There's no way Makoto gave it away that easily.

"Wait, how did you know we were planning something to begin with?" Ann asked.

Ren then pointed to Morgana, who received some very nasty glares from the girls.

"You can glare at me all you want. It won't make me regret watching you at school. As soon as Sumire made that creepy smile, I knew something bad was gonna happen." Morgana said sternly.

After all the torture he had to go through when it came to Ren and Sumire's relationship, it would take more than a few glares to break him.

"What were you plannin' anyway?" Ryuji asked.

“Nothing like you’re making it out to be.” Haru said with a hint of aggravation in her voice.

"Ok, first of all, we don't appreciate being watched. Ever heard of privacy? Futaba said as she crossed her arms

Ren, Morgana and Ryuji had to laugh at that one. The hypocrisy that was being displayed was ridiculous.

"Look who's talking!" Ryuji said loudly amidst his laughter.

"Yeah, says the girl who literally sent me a cryptic message and has a history of hacking into people's devices." Ren said with sarcasm.

"Which is illegal, by the way." Akechi added.

"Oh be quiet! Like you have any room to talk about law and justice after everything you've done." Makoto interjected.

"I have plenty of room to talk as I'm still apart of the justice system." Akechi calmly countered.

"Let's not get out control and make a scene please." Yusuke said as he tried to diffuse the situation.

"We're not makin' a scene Yusuke, they are! They were caught red-handed and instead of being reasonable, they're going to try and blame it on Ren and Morgana." Ryuji said angrily.

"Well maybe we wouldn't be in this predicament if Ren had kept his mouth shut." Ann countered.

Ren's eyes widened after hearing that.

"Ann wait..." Sumire said as she got in front of Ann.

"What do you mean "kept my mouth shut"!? I didn't say anything!"

"If you didn't tell Sumire that she was "making too much" of the fact that you and Akechi are going to beat the living hell out of each other, none of this would be happening! And after you slept with her no less! What a great boyfriend you are Ren."

"Ann!" Sumire shouted. 

"Whoa, slow down Ann." Futaba said.

"Ren, how could you say that to her when all she wants is for you to be safe?" Haru said.

"I always thought you were better than that Ren..." Makoto said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Everyone was silent. The Thieves could hear the mumbling of the people who crowded around them. They all looked around to see the horde of people, all except for Ren. The Thieves noticed Ren's silence and looked at him, but were surprised at the face he had. He looked embarrassed, hurt, angry, sad and betrayed. He didn't say anything as he turned around and walked away. Morgana jumped out of Ryuji's bag and chased after him.

"Ren wait!" Sumire pleaded.

"What the hell is wrong with you Ann!?" Ryuji screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Huh?" Ann said in surprise.

"That was truly uncalled for! Have you no shame Ann!?" Yusuke scolded.

"Yeah Ann! You took it too far!" Futaba said as she walked over to the guys.

Akechi just shook his head and headed toward the exit.

"Hey, leave her alone!" Makoto said as she got in front of Ann.

"Who do you think you are screaming at her like that?" Haru said with anger.

"Who do you think you are for attacking Ren and shoutin' his personal business!?"

"Ok ok! Look, I didn't mean to go so far. But Sumire was really upset and I couldn't stand by and let Ren get away with running his mouth." Ann said in defense.

"That doesn't make it okay Ann!" Ryuji shouted.

"Ann..." Sumire said quietly.

Everyone turned to look at her. She didn't sound too happy.

"You were out of line. What Ren and I do in private is exactly that; private. I didn't tell you about what happened just so you could use it to make him feel bad! And for your information, Ren IS a great boyfriend! Sorry you don't know what that's like. Sumire said with a glare.

Sumire then left the Thieves and took off running for the train station. She just had to make sure Ren was okay. Even if it meant that things ended between them. 

The train ride felt like it was instantaneous. As soon those doors opened, Sumire booked it to LèBlanc. Thanks to her skills as an athlete and experience as a Phantom Thief, she was there in less than six minutes.

When she got there, Sumire noticed that the lights were on but the sign was turned to “Closed”. She got closer and looked through the window that was repaired not too long ago. She couldn’t see anyone downstairs, so that meant Ren and Morgana were in their room. Sumire started knocking on the door hoping Ren would answer it.

“Who’s knocking at the door when the sign says says closed?” Morgana asked.

“Don’t know, don’t care. I’m not answering it.

“Ren!” Sumire called from below.

Ren looked out his window to see Sumire standing looking up at him. Needless to say, he wasn’t happy to see her. But he could see that she was really worried about him. Ren stared at Sumire for a few seconds before he left the window. She then heard the door unlocking and opening to reveal a very unhappy Ren and an angry Morgana.

Sumire didn’t waste any time hugging him. Ren didn’t reciprocate though, not that Sumire blamed him.

“Are you okay?” She asked tenderly.

“Peachy. Thanks for asking.” He said with a snarky tone.

Sumire pulled away from Ren to look at him. She got awkwardly fidgeted about as she thought about what to say. Morgana decided to break the silence for her.

“What are you doing here anyway?” He asked.

“I came to make sure Ren was okay. I still can’t believe what happened...” She said with a somber tone.

“Yeah, I really don’t want to hear it. I think being conspired against, lied to by my own friends and being told how I’m a bad boyfriend, and having everyone know what we do in private is enough for today. Ren said.

“No, wait. You need to understand what happened. I didn’t want, ask or expected that to happen. All that was Ann, I swear.” 

“Still don’t give a damn. After everything we’ve been through and that’s what I get?”

“Uhh...I’m gonna go for a walk.” Morgana said awkwardly.

“No, you’re not. It’s late and its not like anything is really a secret.” Ren said sternly.

“Can we talk inside? It’s really cold out here...” Sumire asked as she rubbed her arms.

“I don’t have anything to say to you right now, but yeah come in.”

“Thank you.” She said with a smile.

Sumire walked in and took a seat at the booth rather than the bar this time. Ren sat down in front of her while Morgana hopped over Ren to sit next to him.

“Uhh...I know you don’t want to talk but let me. First off, let me start by saying that you are far from a horrible boyfriend. Ann was just ranting and took this way too far. Makoto and Haru...I don’t even understand why they chimed in. You know I love you Ren and that won’t change.”

“Yeah, I really felt the love today. Never felt so warm in my life. And all because I told you to not make too much of something.” Ren said sarcastically causing Morgana to laugh a bit.

“That’s also what I want to talk about. I still don’t want you fighting Akechi again, especially at full power. But my reaction was unnecessary and I’m sorry. I should have waited until later when we were both free to talk about it rationally.” Sumire said as adjusted her glasses.

Ren noticed the sad look on her face. He knew she was genuinely sorry.

“You better make sure she doesn’t shed a tear or else, boy.” Raoul said seriously which made Ren quiver a bit. 

“Sumi...” He said as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “I know you’re upset and I shouldn’t have said what I did, especially considering what you’ve been through. But my comment shouldn’t have warranted all of this. Now the entirety of Kichijoji knows of our personal business...” 

Sumire sank in her seat and took off her glasses so she could cover her face in embarrassment.

“I still can’t believe that happened...”

“Yeah, I may have teased you two about your relationship before, but I would never cross that line nor will I ever.” Morgana said reassuringly.

Ren rubbed Morgana’s head a little bit making him purr while Sumire smiled at him.

“Thanks Morgana.” He said.

“Welcome.”

“Come here Morgana.” Sumire said as she stretched her arms out.

Morgana leapt onto the table and jumped in Sumire’s arms. Sumire pulled her feline friend closer and started rubbing his fur.

“Oooh...that feels good.” Morgana said in bliss.

Ren and Sumire snickered at Morgana. He may be a bit annoying, but he never failed to make them smile with his antics.

“Anyway, you actually hit the nail on the head Ren.” She said.

“What do you mean?”

“The reason I reacted that way was because of what I went through. You’re intentionally putting yourself in harm’s way. Kasumi did the same thing and...look what happened to her. I already lost one person I love more than anything and I don’t want to lose another!” Sumire said as tears began to fill her eyes.

And there it was. It wasn’t just the incident with Takuto that made Sumire worry. It was the fact that Kasumi ended up dying after putting herself in danger to protect Sumire. She didn’t want to go through that again with Ren, who started feeling guilty.

“Why didn’t you tell me that earlier...?” He asked.

“I didn’t want to relive her death again...” Sumire said as she began to sob.

On instinct, Ren immediately got up from his seat to sit next to Sumire and held her. He knew Kasumi’s death still affected Sumire a great deal and the fact that he was basically doing the same thing, albeit on another level, Ren understood why she was so upset this morning.

“I’m sorry Sumi...” He said softly as he wiped her tears.

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault. Please think about what you’re doing before going through with this stupid fight.” She said with a sniffle.

“I already did and plus, I always keep my promises. So, I’m going to make you one. If things get out of hand, I’ll stop immediately. No questions asked.”

Sumire looked at Ren and at Morgana for a second before speaking.

“Promise?” She said in her usual sweet voice.

“I promise.” He said with a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry. If Ren gets hurt, I’ll be the first one to heal him.” Morgana added to make Sumire feel better.

Sumire let out a small laugh at Morgana’s statement.

“Oh and by the way, I love you too.” Ren said suddenly.

Sumire was caught by surprise and her trademark blush re-emerged causing Ren to laugh. She couldn’t help but snuggle up to him. As she did, she leaned in and kissed him the same way she did when they were on the Ferris Wheel only it was much shorter.

Their moment was cut short when Sumire‘s phone started ringing. It was her father.

“Hi dad.” She answered.

“Hey. Where are you?”

“With Ren.”

“Again?”

“That rhymed!” Ren said loudly so Mr. Yoshizawa could hear it.

Sumire was trying her hardest to keep her laughter in check. The couple was caught by surprise when he chucked a bit.

“That was a good one.” Mr. Yoshizawa said.

“Wait until you spend time with him.” Sumire said playfully.

“I certainly wouldn’t mind that after everything he’s done for you. And he treats you well, which makes it better. But anyway, I need you to come home. It’s already getting late.”

“Alright, I’m on my way. See ya soon.” Sumire said.

“Bye.” 

“It’s a good sign when the parent likes you before even going over to their house, right?” Ren said playfully as he got up from the booth.

“I’d like to think so. I wasn’t expecting that reaction to your joke though.” Sumire said as she put her bag on her shoulder.

“I have a feeling that he’s full of surprises. Come on, I’ll walk you home. Let’s go, Morgana.”

“Thank you, Ren-Ren. Sumire said as she grabbed his hand.

“It’s what I do.” Ren said as he adjusted his glasses with his Joker smile.

On their way out, Ren got a message on his phone. To his surprise, it was Akechi. 

“How goes the drama?” He asked.

Ren, Sumire and Morgana laughed at the snarky remark. As serious and cold Akechi can be, they had to admit that he can be pretty funny.

“It’s fine between me and Sumire, but as for the others...let’s not go there.”

“Well, that’s good to hear. Hereward and I want to know what’s going to happen with our rematch.”

“It’s going to happen. Sumi’s allowing us to do this at full strength.”

“Excellent! I’m looking forward to this my friend.”

“Likewise. I gotta walk Sumi home right now. We’ll discuss the details tomorrow.”

“Understood. I’m rather busy anyways. Good evening you two.”

“Later.”

“Wow, Akechi really does see you as a friend.” Morgana said.

“I always knew Akechi was a softy.” Sumire said as she let go of Ren’s hand and grabbed onto his arm.

“Yeah, he’s a good guy deep down.”

“Before anything else, I’d like to be there when you discuss the details of this death battle.” Sumire said with puffed out cheeks.

“Of course. I don’t want you feeling like your feelings don’t matter.” Ren said as he gave her a warm smile.

Sumire reciprocated the smile and chuckled a little bit.

“Thank you, sweetie.”

“Let’s not forget that keeping her in the loop prevents any more fiascos like earlier.” Morgana added.

“That too.” Ren and Sumire said in unison as they walked down the metro station stairs hand-in-hand.

“By the way...”

“What Morgana?”

“Can we get sushi?”

**Author's Note:**

> Just when you thought Ren and Sumire were the ones at odds, the whole group got involved. Don’t worry, everything will be fine between the Thieves, I promise. 
> 
> Any feedback and suggestions are more than welcome. Thank you for reading and I’ll see you in the next story!


End file.
